1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatuses for elevating and moving vehicles about a surface, and, more specifically to a vehicle wheel dolly that may be used to elevate a vehicle without the use of a vehicle lifting device.
2. Background Art
There is often a need to manually move vehicles about a service garage or storage area without operating and moving the vehicle under its own power. One such way to move vehicles is to manually push the vehicles about the garage on its own four wheels and tires. Because these vehicles may weigh several thousand pounds, moving vehicles manually in this manner may be time consuming and cumbersome. Often the vehicles may only be moved easily in one direction, forward and rearward. Many times a second or third individual may be needed to steer the vehicle in the intended direction of movement.
Another means used to move vehicles about the garage is with a motorized vehicle dolly. A single individual may operate the motorized dolly and move the vehicle. The motorized dolly may engage two or four of the wheels of the vehicle and can be used to move the vehicle easily about any area. While these motorized dollies are useful, they are often expensive and not practical for everyday use by small repair shop operators or individual vehicle owners that do their own repair work or vehicle modifications.
Another possible means of moving vehicles about a garage or storage area is with the use of wheel dollies. Wheel dollies are generally constructed of metal plates having casters or rollers that are capable of supporting a wheel assembly of a vehicle. These casters or rollers are capable of rotating 360 degrees so that the dolly may move easily in any direction. Individual dollies may be positioned under each of the four wheels or either the two front or two rear wheels such that the vehicle may be elevated from the surface on the dollies. Once elevated on the dollies, the vehicle may be moved easily in any direction by simply pushing the vehicle about an area. The smaller casters or rollers have much lower frictional forces to over come than the larger wheels of a vehicle, thus allowing for the vehicle to be easily moved when positioned on the dollies.
The difficult aspect with this mode of moving vehicles is that the vehicle must be lifted off the floor or ground and a dolly positioned under each of the wheels to be elevated. Many times a mechanized floor lift may be used to elevate a vehicle weighing several thousand pounds so that the dollies may be positioned under each wheel and the vehicle lowered onto them. Often, individual car owners who work on their own cars or small shop owners can not afford these expensive and space consuming lifts to raise a vehicle to a point where dollies may be placed under each wheel. These individuals must resort to “jacking up” or raising a single wheel at a time and sliding a dolly under the tire, then move to the next wheel to repeat the process. This process may be very time consuming, and, more importantly, a safety risk to the individual performing the operation.
Therefore, a need exists for a vehicle wheel dolly having wheels or casters that not only allows an individual to move a vehicle with ease in any direction, but also allows the individual to position the dolly under each wheel without having to first raise the vehicle off the ground with a lift or jack.